Guest Blogger Louise M. Gouge and A Suitable Wife

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

LOUISE M. GOUGE, an award-winning Florida author, writes historical fiction for Harlequin's Love Inspired imprint. In addition to numerous other awards, Louise is the recipient of the prestigious Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award for her 2005 historical novel, Hannah Rose (first place) and her 2011 Regency novella, The Gentleman Takes a Bride, (second place). Please visit her Web site at http://blog.Louisemgouge.com.

A SUITABLE WIFE
by Louise M. Gouge
Published by Harlequin Love Inspired Historical

ABOUT THE BOOK

It’s an impossible attraction. Lady Beatrice Gregory has beauty, brains—and a wastrel brother. With her family fortune squandered, her only chance of a Season is as a lowly companion. London’s glittering balls and parties are bittersweet when Beatrice has no hope of a match. Still, helping Lord Greystone with his charitable work brings her genuine pleasure…perhaps more that she dares to admit. Even when every marriageable miss in London is paraded before him, the only woman to capture Lord Greystone’s attention is the one he shouldn’t pursue. Attaching himself to a ruined family would jeopardize his ambitions. Yet Lady Beatrice may be the only wife to suit his lord’s heart.

Readers, buy your copy of A Suitable Wife today!

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR


Readers often ask me where I get my story ideas, and it’s a question I love to answer. Ideas come from everywhere, and I never know when one will hit me hard and demand to be written.

I once saw a man and a boy tossing a football outside my window. I began asking “what if?” and the answers blossomed into a story. When I mentioned it to my friend, she said, “You go home and write that!” I did, and that story became my first published novel and its sequel.

Another idea came while I was reading Moby Dick for a college class. When I found out Captain Ahab had a wife, I immediately thought “what kind of girl would marry that crazy old whaling captain?” The answer grew into my master’s thesis, Ahab’s Bride. Then I wrote two more books to continue the story, and my Ahab’s Legacy series was born.

I have been inspired by bits of real history, such as learning that my home state of Florida was a British colony during the Revolutionary War. Why didn't this colony join the thirteen colonies in their rebellion against England? The answers gave me my first series from Harlequin’s Love Inspired Historical imprint.

My most recent series came from a minor character in another historical novel. This poor but aristocratic woman was a companion to a wealthy, haughty lady who treated her rather badly. I began wonder “what circumstances would require a well-born lady hire herself out as a companion that way?” Three stories came to mind, and I've had great fun writing them.

Right now I’m wondering about a certain biblical character, and I hope to find all the right questions. . .and answers. . .to develop another series. We’ll see.

Sometimes when people find out that I’m a writer, they begin to tell me a story and want me to write it. At times like that, I think of my friend who encouraged me way back when. Like her, I respond, “Why don’t you go home and write that story?” You may not consider yourself a writer, but maybe you've had an idea. Or maybe you could write your family history. Think of how grateful future generations will be to know all about our times and your part in them!

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Thank you, Louise, for sharing with us today.

Reader Question: What do you think might make a good idea for a story? What might keep you from writing it?

ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name [at] domainname [dot] com) along with your answer to the question for your chance to win a free autographed copy of the book featured above. If you do not answer the question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered.

Louise is also giving away a copy of the book on her blog.

This week, the drawing is open to US/Canada residents only.

Guest Blogger Allie Pleiter and Homefront Hero

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

An avid knitter, coffee junkie, and devoted chocoholic, ALLIE PLEITER writes both fiction and non-fiction. The enthusiastic but slightly untidy mother of two, Allie spends her days writing books, buying yarn, and finding new ways to avoid housework. Allie hails from Connecticut, moved to the midwest to attend Northwestern University, and currently lives outside Chicago, Illinois. The “dare from a friend” to begin writing has produced two parenting books, fourteen novels, and various national speaking engagements on faith, women’s issues, and writing. Visit her website at www.alliepleiter.com or her knitting blog at www.DestiKNITions.blogspot.com

HOMEFRONT HERO
by Allie Pleiter
Published by Love Inspired Historical

ABOUT THE BOOK

Dashing and valiantly wounded, Captain John Gallows could have stepped straight out of an army recruitment poster. Leanne Sample can't help being impressed—although the lovely Red Cross nurse tries to hide it. She knows better than to get attached to the daring captain who is only home to heal and help rally support for the war's final push. As soon as he's well enough, he'll rush back to Europe, back to war—and far away from South Carolina and Leanne. But when an epidemic strikes close to home, John comes to realize what it truly means to be a hero—Leanne's hero.

Readers, buy your copy of Homefront Hero today!

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR


“I want to see the wound, not the weapon.”

This is the advice I give writers when they ask how to tackle difficult or uncomfortable topics, when they’re wondering which things should be left “offstage.” This was the challenge I faced when deciding how to tackle something so dark as the Spanish Flu epidemic in a romance novel. Let’s face it: people aren’t looking for CSI 1918 when they open up an inspirational historical romance.

I faced the same dilemma when I wrote Mission of Hope. I know my readers expect humor and a lighthearted world view from me. How do you remember that when you tackle the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake?

The answer is to focus on the wound but not so much on the weapon. It’s why I chose to set Mission of Hope in the months after the earthquake and fires. Things were a bit different when I needed to depict the Spanish Flu epidemic for Homefront Hero...all the drama there was before, in the pandemic’s early stages, in the build up. People simply couldn’t believe heathy young men and women were dying at the rates they were--and from influenza, which had never killed before! As a reader, I’m not a fan of grisly details. Give me enough to set the scene, but put your focus elsewhere or I’m likely to look away.

I’m delighted that readers have given me exactly that praise for both books: “I feel like I was there.” It means I’ve gotten the essence of the event. I’m always careful, however, not to let it get gruesome or to loose the touches of humor that keep the book’s uplifting spirit. I devote my descriptions to the human effect, not the disaster itself. I seek to portray what it felt like to survive, because as a reader, that’s where the empowerment and encouragement lie for me.


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Thank you, Allie, for again sharing with us today.

Guest Question: Readers, what great challenges have you read about that have given you courage? Writers, where do you need to apply this tactic?

ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name at domainname dot com/net) along with your answer to the question for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of the book featured above. If you do not answer the question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered.

This week, the contest is open to US/Canada residents only.

Guest Blogger Lacy Williams and The Homesteader's Sweetheart

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

By day, LACY WILLIAMS is a stay-at-home mom battling dirty diapers and dog-hair dust-bunnies. By night, she is a novelist whose debut book (Marrying Miss Marshal) was a finalist in the RT Book Reviews 2011 Reviewers’ Choice Awards. Her current projects include a screenplay and potty-training her little girl.

http://www.megamaybirthdaybash.com

THE HOMESTEADER'S SWEETHEART
by Lacy Williams
Published by Love Inspired Historical

ABOUT THE BOOK

A wealthy social butterfly falls in love with her grandfather’s poor neighbor and his eight children.

Readers, buy your copy of The Homesteader's Sweetheart today!

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR


What’s the best birthday gift you’ve ever received? I’ve gotten some doozies. Of course there was the bike when I was a kid (six? I can’t remember the exact birthday). On my twenty-first birthday, my husband gave me a beautiful diamond tennis bracelet. It was close to my twenty-seventh birthday when I found out we were going to have my daughter.

Personally, I love giving gifts more than receiving them. The Christmas season is my favorite time of year. There is just something about finding the perfect gift for someone you love, and the anticipation of how they will enjoy it… Some of the best moments from my daughter’s two-year birthday last December were watching her face when she opened a present that she loved (she got a stuffed Donald Duck that she carried around for days).

But what if no one had ever given you something special? That question was one that I wanted to answer in THE HOMESTEADER’S SWEETHEART. The hero, Jonas White, was an orphan who grew up on the streets of Philadelphia in the late 1800s. Because of his background, he’s a compassionate, steady man, but he’s never had anyone special in his life (other than his kids), so he’s never received a really nice gift in his entire life. Until the heroine, Penny Castlerock, becomes a part of his life. Here’s a short excerpt that shows some of Jonas’s feelings about his gift. This scene is from the middle of the book, and Jonas and Penny have started becoming close but Jonas questions whether he could deserve someone like her.

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"Careful," Jonas warned Oscar from his perch on the skeleton frame of the Smiths' new barn roof. The teen nodded, lips pressed around a handful of nails.
Jonas had reluctantly agreed to the barn-raising. He needed to be careful around Penny. Didn't want to fall further in love with her, not when things could never work between them.
Now, mid-morning, he was part of the roofing crew, and he couldn't help but be aware of Penny on the ground as she weaved among the visiting women, Breanna sometimes by her side and sometimes off playing with the other children. Breanna with her new dress…
Nor could he ignore an awareness of his sons, each wearing a bright, clean, new shirt. Usually, the boys wore hand-me-downs, with Oscar and Maxwell receiving the new items because they were biggest. The joy they'd expressed last night when Penny had gifted them with the shirts and again this morning as they'd donned the brand-new clothing pinched his heart. He wished he could do more for them.
He hadn't yet worn the pale blue shirt she'd given him along with a sweet, sincere smile. He'd sat on the edge of his bed for a long time last night, moonlight streaming through his window, fingering the garment Penny had made for him.
It had been a very long time since anyone had given him a gift, other than the little trinkets he received from the children at Christmas.
And no one had ever given him something so fine. He kept thinking of all the time she must have spent making it.
Almost like a wife or mother, making clothing for the ones she loved.

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I’d like to let everyone know that I’m having a special promotion in honor of the release of THE HOMESTEADER’S SWEETHEART and my birthday. I’m giving away bonus scenes and goodies from some of your favorite authors (including Camy Tang, Regina Jennings, Jordyn Redwood) and giving away books from a bunch more. Visit www.megamaybirthdaybash.com for full details.

Thanks for hosting me!

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Thank you, Lacy, for sharing with us today.

Guest Question: What is the best gift you have ever received?

ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name at domainname dot com/net) along with your answer to the question for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of the book featured above. If you do not answer the question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered.

This week, the contest is open to US/Canada residents only.

Welcome Ruth Axtell Morren and

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

RUTH AXTELL MORREN has published 12 romances with Steeple Hill/Love Inspired Books. Her 13th, a Love Inspired Historical, Hometown Cinderella will be out February 2012. She will have a single title regency out in March 2013 for Revell Books, and another Downeast Maine-set historical tentatively titled Her Good Name with Moody Books. Her books have been translated into Dutch, Italian, Polish, Czech and Afrikaans. She was a Golden Heart finalist in 1994. Her second published book, Wild Rose, was a Booklist “Top Ten Christian Fiction” selection in 2005. She is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and RWA (Romance Writers of America). Ruth studied comparative literature at Smith College, and has lived in both Europe and the U.S. Shortly after college, she committed her life to Christ. Fourteen years later, she committed her writing to Him. Currently, Ruth lives in Maine with her three children and two cats.

HOMETOWN CINDERELLA
by Ruth Axtell Morren
Published by Love Inspired Historical

ABOUT THE BOOK

I didn’t realize I had written a fairytale of my own until the editorial & marketing team at Love Inspired discovered it for me.

Small Town, Big Dreams

After years of traveling in Europe with her musician husband, all that widow Mara Hoffman wants is security for her son. A half-share in her father’s Maine farmhouse is the only refuge she has left, even if her resentful stepmother treats Mara as little more than a servant. But there is one bright spot: the unexpected kindness of neighbor Gideon Jakeman.

A widowed farmer with a teenage daughter, Gideon hardly pictures himself as anyone’s Prince Charming. Especially a woman of Mara’s refinement. Yet his quiet, rugged strength makes her feel as though she’s found her rightful place by his side, if they can find faith enough to forge their own happy ending.

Readers, buy your copy of HOMETOWN CINDERELLA today!

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR

Finding—and Keeping—Your Voice

Stick around fiction writing any length of time and you are sure to hear about author’s “voice.” No one knows precisely how to define it, but we all know it when we hear it.

It’s what draws us to our favorite authors, whose books become keepers. It’s the distinct quality of that author’s writing that is hard to define but is clear as a clarion when reading his/her novels.

I’ve just discovered a new writer, Melanie Dickerson. She has two young adult fiction books out now with Zondervan Publishing. They are both retellings of fairytales. What an irresistible combination, right? The first, The Healer’s Apprentice is loosely based on Sleeping Beauty, and the one I just finished reading, The Merchant’s Daughter, on Beauty and the Beast. One of the things I like about them is that she takes liberties with the original tales so they are quite original. She also weaves the Scriptures very adroitly through the medieval stories. But what I love most about her stories is her voice. They are most distinctly Melanie Dickerson stories. I could probably identify them if I didn’t have the author’s name on the cover.

Well, for a while there, I had thought I had lost my voice—or at least compromised it to a large extent by trying to fit a publishing house’s guidelines and styles. Then, when a manuscript was turned down, I decided (on faith) to continuing writing it with no invisible editor hovering over my shoulder. I would just write the story I believed the Lord had given me and worry about whether it “worked” or not afterwards when it came time to edit and revise. It was a very liberating and at the same time scary experience, since I hadn’t done this kind of writing without a safety net since my pre-published days. But just this month, I not only sold this story to a new publisher, but I finished the first draft, and ta-da!, read it over and am really pleased with how it turned out. As I said at the outset, I feel as if I’ve rediscovered my voice. We tend to write what we like to read, and I feel I’m back to the kind of stories I best like to read: lots of interplay and emotional conflict between the hero & heroine, but also lots of spiritual growth in them as the story progresses.

I told my daughter when I finished the manuscript, “This is why writers write. To reach this adrenalin high when one has done it—finished the book, a euphoria that will pass when I buckle down to revise and polish. But for the moment, what a feeling!

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Thank you, Ruth, for sharing with us today.

Guest Question: If you are a writer or love to write, do you feel you have discovered your voice in writing? When did you realize it? If you are a reader, have you ever loved a certain author's voice only to discover they change it with a new novel? How did you feel? Would you prefer an author maintain the same voice throughout books, or does it matter to you? Why or why not?

ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name at domainname dot com/net) along with your answer to the question for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of the book featured above. If you do not answer the question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered. And if you don’t like to read teen science fiction, maybe there is a teen in your life who’d like the book.

The contest is open to US/Canada residents only.

Welcome Cheryl St. John with TWO giveaways

Please interact with our guest authors by answering the question they provide. Your response will also enter you in the drawing for one of two free books being offered by Cheryl this week.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHERYL ST. JOHN's first book was published in 1993 and she has written nearly forty historical and contemporary romances since then. In addition to receiving high acclaim from readers, her office walls hold framed covers and awards she's proud to display. She has received four RITA nominations.

Cheryl admits to being an avid collector who loves everything from teapots, cups and saucers and pitchers to depression glass, kitchenware and dolls. She especially enjoys browsing flea markets for antiques and collectibles, and claims her car automatically pulls over for a garage sale.

MARRYING THE PREACHER'S DAUGHTER
by Cheryl St. John
Published by Steeple Hill/Love Inspired

ABOUT THE BOOK

Bounty hunting was just a job for Gabe Taggart—one he needed to fund his sister's education. But now Irene has finished school, and Gabe is ready to settle down, find a husband for Irene and—best of all—set aside his past. His adventuring days are over…until his intervention in a train robbery leaves him injured, under Elizabeth Hart's care. Despite his plans for a quiet life, antagonizing his feisty caretaker is the most fun Gabe's ever had. Elizabeth provokes him, too, with her strong mind, kind heart and high principles. Gabe hopes to win her love, but will his dark history bar him from marriage to the preacher's daughter?

HER WYOMING MAN
by Cheryl St. John
Published by Harlequin

ABOUT THE BOOK

Courtesan Ella Reed escapes dangerous city life to rural Wyoming and says "I do" to a marriage of convenience! But she may not live the life of a respectable woman for long if she can't keep her past—and her heart—under lock and key. For a self-made man with political aspirations, love is trivial in a paper marriage. Nathan Lantry needs a wife to secure his election and manage his rowdy little boys. Yet he can't stop wanting more from his irresistible new bride. Then her secrets start to unravel….

Readers, buy your copy of Marrying the Preacher's Daughter (Love Inspired Historical) and Her Wyoming Man (Harlequin Historical) today!

AND NOW A FEW WORDS FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR

Cheryl has chosen to provide an interview as her guest blog today. Enjoy! And read to the bottom to see this week's reader question.

How much time do you spend writing and/or just pondering about your current book's plot?

When I'm on deadline I put in a full day's work, anywhere from six to eight hours a day at the keyboard. I have to plan to ponder, because out of sight is usually out of mind for me. I sit down with character grids and a notebook when I'm plotting. I always make a list of 25 things that could happen in the story, and I brainstorm the characters and story. After that, while I'm actually writing the book, I think about it during breaks to do laundry, make coffee, etc., but once the work day is over, I have so many other things to do, I don't normally just ponder my book. My creative time comes with my fingers on the keyboard.

I recently worked 15-hour days for a couple of weeks to get a manuscript finished.

Why did you become a writer? Why a romance writer instead of writing in another genre?

Writing was always exciting for me. The thrill of creating those first stories is a good memory. The job suits me perfectly. I set my own hours; I'm my own boss, and I don't have to get out of my jammies or put on makeup if I don't want to. Romance is what I love to read, and one of the first things we hear in writing classes is "write what you love" or "write what you know" -- well I don't know all that much, but I know what I love.

Where do you find inspiration for the romance and situation your characters experience?

Often in real life situations. I see a news story that affects me in a big way, and I want to embellish it or tweak it and tell it a different way, or figure out how this situation would affect the people for the rest of their lives. Often a really good book inspires me to write, and sometimes a movie inspires ideas. Romance is inspired by my belief that there's hope for all people and all situations.

A prolific writer doesn’t wait for inspiration, however. He just sits down and writes.

Why should we read romantic fiction?

Don't knock it until you've tried it. The most touching reader letters come from those who tell me that my stories gave them hope. Everyone wants a happy ending. There isn't anyone who doesn't want to connect with another person in a really special way. Romances kindle our sense of hope.

How much of your personal life is in your books?

Probably not nearly as much as people tend to think. It's fiction, after all. If my life was as exciting as my books, I'd be writing an autobiography! So okay, I like to surprise friends and family by slipping in a name or an inside joke and seeing how many recognize it and say something. Of course I have a wealth of unending kid traits and things they say, what with ten grandchildren. (Don't tell anyone, okay? Someone might get the idea that I'm past 30.) They're all so bright and funny, and I love to use them as prototypes for the children in my books. I'm often told how realistic my young characters are, and now you know why. I make sure they act and talk like real kids.

I think the writers who "become" their characters are the ones who touch readers’ hearts. I tend to place myself in the story person's skin, be absorbed by their situation and assume their backstory in order to determine how they're reacting, feeling, and what they will do next.

It's a writing technique to recall a joyous occasion or a black moment or high point in our own lives and put those feelings down on paper, even though the circumstance are completely different. Usually. :-)

What's your favorite indulgence? Your favorite quote?

I have many indulgences, now that you make me think. Chocolate. Hot tea. Thrift store browsing and shopping flea markets. Watching a favorite movie for the hundredth time is an indulgence. My daughter and I love to watch Hoarders and then clean and get rid of things. Netflix.

Favorite quote? "I do not sit down to work because I am inspired. I become inspired because I sit down to work." - Oscar Hammerstein

Cheryl would love to know your favorite indulgence. Leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for one of her two new books. Two readers will be selected.

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Thank you, Cheryl, for sharing with us today.

Guest Question: What is your favorite indulgence?

ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name at domainname dot com/net) along with your answer to the question for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of one of the books above. If you do not answer the question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered.

If you have a preference for one book or the other, please state that, and your name will only be included in the drawing for that book.

This week, the contest is open to U.S. residents only.

Welcome Louise M. Gouge and At the Captain's Command

6Please interact with our guest authors by answering the question they provide. Your response will also enter you in the drawing for a free book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

LOUISE M. GOUGE, an award-winning Florida author, writes historical fiction, calling her stories “threads of grace woven through time.” In addition to numerous other awards, Louise is the recipient of the prestigious Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award. Married to David Gouge for forty-six years, Louise is a mother of four and grandmother of six. In addition to writing, she teaches English and humanities at Valencia Community College in Kissimmee, Florida.

AT THE CAPTAIN'S COMMAND
by Louise M. Gouge
Published by Love Inspired Historicals

ABOUT THE BOOK

A heroic British naval captain, son of an influential earl, dares to fall in love with a provincial American girl. Then he discovers her family's devastating secret.

Loyal to the British Crown, orphaned Dinah Templeton has vowed never to marry a seafaring man, for her father died at sea and her merchant captain brother is always away. But when Captain Thomas Moberly sails into St. Augustine to defend the East Florida shores from American pirates, Dinah finds that her heart may overrule her head regarding this seafarer. Captain Thomas Moberly, captain of HMS Dauntless, has been assigned to capture the notorious American pirate Nighthawk, who plagues the Atlantic coast of East Florida. War-weary and hoping for a refreshing visit with his brother and sister, who live near St. Augustine, Thomas never expects to find love. But how can he resist the lovely Miss Templeton, even though she is what his father, Lord Bennington, would call a common American?

Readers, buy your copy of At the Captains Command today!

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR

My latest book brings with its release a feeling of nostalgia for me. At The Captain’s Command is the third and final book in my British East Florida Revolutionary War series. I loved researching this story in the St. Augustine Historical Society library and in the streets of our nation’s Oldest City. This little piece of history is not well-known. Even many Floridians don’t know that Florida belonged to England from 1763 – 1783 or that this colony provided a place of refuge for American colonists who were loyal to the Crown. Not only did I have great fun researching the background, but I also had fun looking at the conflict between the Patriots and Loyalists.

In the first two books (Love Thine Enemy, 2009, and The Captain’s Lady, 2010), my heroes and heroines are on opposite side in the war, which is a great conflict for any story. For this third book, however, I was presented with a delightful challenge to write entirely from the Loyalist point of view for both heroine and hero. Me, a flag-waving American who’s more than a little proud of my Patriot ancestors! But the emotional distance created by over two hundred and thirty years (and the fact that England is now America’s best friend in the world community – not to mention how crazy we Americans are about the upcoming royal wedding) helped me imagine how the Loyalists would have felt in 1780.

These people had to flee their homes in the northern colonies to avoid persecution and even death at the hands of the Patriots. Their crime was believing that the king was their God-given authority. Oh, sure, many people were motivated by politics and greed, but my characters are humbler folk, much like you and me. They had never known anything other than rule by a distant monarch. Or, in the case of my hero, service to that monarch as a captain in His Majesty’s Royal Navy.

And so, my conflict between hero and heroine, both related by marriage to my previous two heroes and heroines, had do be different. Dinah, my Loyalist, has lived in St. Augustine since early in the war, having fled there with her foster sister and the sister’s disagreeable husband. I didn’t want this to be a Cinderella story, so I gave Dinah a modest inheritance. Because she is an orphan whose father died at sea and whose brother is a merchant captain, she has vowed never to marry a seafaring man, who will only abandon her as they did.

Enter Captain Thomas Moberly, a seafaring British war hero who has come to St. Augustine to defend the coast against American pirates. Thomas has vowed never to marry an American, as his sister and brother have done, because their father, Lord Bennington disapproved so violently of those marriages. But Bennington has died, and Thomas is chafing against his failure ever to receive his father’s approval.

And then Thomas meets beautiful Dinah. And Dinah meets dashing Thomas. And the rest is...well, maybe not history, but their story.

So why am I feeling nostalgic as I leave this story, this era behind? Well, I guess it’s just like all of my previous series. I fell in love my characters and have greatly enjoyed the journey we’ve taken together. I will miss these people with whom I’ve spent several years of my life!

My one consolation is that I have another story coming out in June 2011 that moves on to the next generation. The Gentleman Takes a Bride tells the story of Thomas and Dinah’s youngest daughter and the man she comes to love during the Regency period. But I’ll tell you about that another day.

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Thank you, Louise, for sharing with us today.

Guest Question: Writers of historical fiction have two responsibilities: create compelling characters and place them in an accurately portrayed historical setting. We often struggle not to overwhelm our readers with details of how people used to live, but sometimes obscure facts are necessary to the story. So here are two questions for readers.

How much historical detail (I like to call these golden nuggets of the past) do you like to discover in your reading? Or do you prefer to imagine all that and just get on with the story of the heroine and her hero?

ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name at domainname dot com/net) along with your answer to the question for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of the book above. If you do not answer the question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered.

This week, the contest is open to US/Canada residents only.

Welcome Allie Pleiter and Yukon Wedding

Please interact with our guest authors by answering the question they provide. Your response will also enter you in the drawing for a free book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ALLIE PLEITER is an avid knitter, coffee junkie, and devoted chocoholic, who writes both fiction and non-fiction. The enthusiastic but slightly untidy mother of two, Allie spends her days writing books, buying yarn, and finding new ways to avoid housework. Allie hails from Connecticut, moved to the midwest to attend Northwestern University, and currently lives outside Chicago, Illinois. The “dare from a friend” to begin writing has produced two parenting books, fourteen novels, and various national speaking engagements on faith, women’s issues, and writing. Visit her website at www.alliepleiter.com or her knitting blog at DestiKNITions.blogspot.com.

YUKON WEDDING
by Allie Pleiter
Published by Love Inspired Historical

ABOUT THE BOOK

A gold-rush town is no place for a single mother. But widow Lana Bristow won’t abandon the only home her son has ever known. She’ll fight to remain in Treasure Creek, Alaska—even if it means wedding Mack Tanner, the man she blames for her husband’s death. Mack sees marriage as his duty, the only way to protect his former business partner’s family. Yet what starts as an obligation changes as his spoiled socialite bride proves to be a woman of strength and grace. A woman who shows Mack the only treasure he needs is her heart.

Readers, buy your copy of Yukon Wedding today!

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR

I like the Alaskan Gold rush for the same reasons I like history and I love Cadbury Easter Eggs--the rich stuff on the inside. I disliked the facts and figures of history in high school, but once I dug down past them for the stories of history, I uncovered my passion own for adventures.

Mack and Lana’s adventures are on a landscape of a grand scale--the Yukon Gold Rush--but it’s their inner adventure that catches my heart. Even though their marriage of convenience brings them to the same home, their journey to each other is vast. Like lots of us, they try to solve their inner problems with outer fixes, and that only leads to pain and disappointment. Oh, but when they get it right on the inside, the meeting of their hearts is sweet indeed.

Until something goes horribly wrong. This is an adventure, after all.

Fold in a silver star, some very poorly baked cookies, one smart lady, several dumb crooks, an adorable toddler, and a man who’s been alone far too long, and you’ve just about got it covered. Writing this book was like holding a tiger by the tail--or maybe just a very large Alaskan moose. I hope you’ll sense the fun I had writing it as you read.

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Thank you, Allie, for sharing with us today.

Guest Question: What do you like best about history? And if you don't like history, why not? What turned you off from it?

ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name at domainname dot com/net) along with your answer to the question for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of the book above. If you do not answer the question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered.

This week, the contest is open to US/Canada residents only.

Spotlight on Winnie Griggs and The Christmas Journey

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

WINNIE GRIGGS is a small town girl born and raised in Southeast Louisiana’s Cajun Country who grew up to marry a country boy from the piney hills of Northwest Louisiana. Though her Prince Charming (who often wears the guise of a cattle rancher) is more comfortable riding a tractor than a white steed, the two of them have been living out their own happily-ever-after for 30+ years. During that time they raised four proud-to-call-them-mine children and a too-numerous-to-count assortment of dogs, cats, fish, hamsters, turtles and 4-H sheep.

Winnie has a BS degree in mathematics and has held a job in the electric utility industry for more years than she cares to contemplate.

Her favorite activities, outside of writing and reading, are cooking, exploring flea markets and pretending the growing army of dust bunnies who have invaded her home will disappear if she just ignores them long enough.

THE CHRISTMAS JOURNEY
by Winnie Griggs
Published by Love Inspired Historical

ABOUT THE BOOK

Philadelphia lawyer Ryland Lassiter is everything Josephine Wylie wants--for a brother-in-law! As the sole supporter of her family, Josie's plans for herself have always had to wait. But Ryland will be ideal as the new head of the Wylie clan...once he finally realizes how perfect he is for Josie's sister.

Ry knows it's time to settle down. The newly appointed guardian to a friend's daughter, he's ready for a home and family. All he needs is a bride...and Josie's sister is not the Wylie who has caught his eye. If only Josie would see the truth--that the only Christmas present he needs is her love.

Readers, buy your copy of The Christmas Journey today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

Actually, the idea came from that great movie classic It’s A Wonderful Life. It’s always been one of my favorite holiday flicks and at one point I began toying with the idea of taking the story and twisting it slightly – change the George Bailey role to that of a woman and set it in the nineteenth century. Thus Josie Wiley was born – a woman who longs to see the world outside the confines of her small backwater town but is held prisoner there by her own sense of duty, responsibility and deep love for her family. And the perfect hero for her, of course, is a man who’s already seen all he cares to of the world ‘out there’ and wants nothing more than to find a place to settle down.

2. How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that were theirs and theirs alone?

I think every writer puts a bit of herself in her stories, whether consciously or not. My stories, at their center, are all about searching for a place to belong, about craving a sense of family. That is a very core need of mine as well. But the particular circumstances my characters come from, the form those longings take, are uniquely theirs.

3. If your hero/heroine were an ice cream flavor, what would he/she be and why?

My heroine, Josie, would be Rocky Road – her life up to the point my story opens has been a very rocky road indeed.

My hero, Ry, would be Neapolitan – his life has been compartmentalized into distinct sections and he is trying to bridge the various pieces.

4. Are there any themes in The Christmas Journey that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the stories progressed?

As I stated earlier, most of my stories are about trying to capture a sense of belonging and about discovering the true meaning of family. But in addition to that, this story has a layer in it of recognizing that sometimes the best answer to even the most heartfelt of prayers can be ‘No’.

5. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

The most difficult parts to write were the scenes with Ry and his siblings. I had a hard time really nailing down their relationships with each other. I hope I succeeded in the end.

My favorite parts were the early scenes where Ry and Josie were getting to know each other, feeling that tug of attraction, but realizing they have different goals and dreams for their futures.

6. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

The Heart’s Song comes out in June 2010 and it is my first foray into the world of contemporaries. It’s set in my home state of Louisiana in a fictional town located in the central part of the state where the Cajun culture and north Louisiana cultures sort of come together. The heroine is trying to start up a community handbell choir and enlists the reluctant help of her new neighbor, a former choir director who feels betrayed by God. Reeny and Graham’s story has been with me for quite sometime and I’m very excited to finally get it written.

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Thank you, Winnie, for being in the spotlight with us.

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